Later this month, Morning Musume。’18 will perform at Anisong World Matsuri at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City as part of Anime NYC. Mizuki Fukumura, Miki Nonaka and Reina Yokoyama tackle a few questions from JaME ahead of the concert.

What can you tell us about the concept and theme of Furari Ginza and its music video?

Mizuki Fukumura: It's a 60s theme and it has a catchy melody and comical movements. In the chorus, we do this dance with our hands, and I would love to have you dance to that!

Miki Nonaka: The theme is based on the love story in Ginza, the city of adults in Tokyo! The concept is the 60s era, so all the style from the hair to the clothes to the setting is all in the 60s style!

Reina Yokoyama: It’s an “adult love song”. It’s about an adult couple walking through the city of Ginza. The songs and the lyrics are really mature, but the dance is very funny, so I think it’s an interesting contrast. Especially the dance parts during the “fu” are really easy, so I would love to have everyone dance along to it!

What are your personal thoughts and feelings on the message of Jiyuu na kuni dakara?

Mizuki Fukumura: I was a little embarrassed when we were wearing the uniform. It would be nice if fans noticed our sad expressions when we're being controlled by the uniforms, even though we say "It’s a free country so I will choose".

Miki Nonaka: When I saw the title, the first thing that I thought was America! They have the Statue of Liberty, and it’s also normal in America to express your feelings freely! At the end of the song, there’s a part where we improvise our dance, so I tried really hard to express myself.

Reina Yokoyama: My feelings are a bit similar in terms of being a girl who doesn’t get tied down and has her own opinion. So when I perform this song, I try not to force any emotions and try to show my true self.

How is Morning Musume。'18 similar to or different from the Morning Musume。of previous years in terms of vibe and energy?

Mizuki Fukumura: Mostly, our dancing became more intricate and there's so much more! When I meet past members, they praise us by saying “We didn’t move like that before! It’s amazing!”. It’s true that we move more fiercely, but I want to keep trying my best to be like the past members!

Miki Nonaka: Past generations of Morning Musume。 had songs like Love Machine where they had dances that were easy to follow, but in the last few years, the choreography has become much more intricate. Now I think we have a good mixture of really catchy dance moves and cool moves too! For example, in the single Are you Happy?, there are some complicated dance parts, but there’s also a part where we jump up and down with our fans! I want to continue enjoying that mix.

Reina Yokoyama: We're similar in unity. We each want to do our best, but if our hearts aren't as one, we won’t be able to create the "formation dance", so I think no one can beat our friendship. But we all have the desire to stand out and I really like that about Morning Musume。.

What was the biggest challenge for you when you entered Morning Musume。?

Mizuki Fukumura: The morning wake-up prank concert! I had to perform at the bottom of Mt. Fuji early in the early morning in front of fans with no makeup and my glasses still on. I will never forget that day.

Miki Nonaka: To communicate with my fans as much as possible! I try to update my blog every day and post Up Front videos aimed toward our overseas fans. I try hard to shorten the distance between us and the fans!

Reina Yokoyama: Acting is my biggest challenge. I always liked to sing and dance but I’ve never acted before, so I was really worried when I had to on the stage for the first time. I've played a lot of roles where I had to act out a very happy girl, so it was my number one challenge to express that.

What anime theme songs do you personally admire? Is there a theme or style that you like the best?

Mizuki Fukumura: "MAJOR/Kokoro e", "Gege no Kitaro", "Kirby’s Dream Land", "Cells at Work!", "Sgt. Frog", "Pokemon", "Ojamajo Doremi". It would be endless if I were to list all my favorite songs, and I love all genres! If the lyrics connect with the anime, I like it even more!

Miki Nonaka: I really like Doraemon and I love to mimic him! I also like the theme song for "Doraemon". I feel relaxed by shows that have cute characters!

Reina Yokoyama: I always liked "Sailor Moon" since I was a child, so Moonlight Densetsu! I still hum it to this day. When I was younger, I couldn’t remember the first verse so when I sang at karaoke, I used to sing the second verse during the first verse and I felt like I did great!

JaME would like to thank Morning Musume。'18, Anisong World Matsuri and Resonance Media for this interview opportunity.

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